Wednesday, November 30, 2011
A thought-provoking quote I found this morning randomly and unexpectedly on a stranger's email signature
“Sometimes I would like to ask God why He allows poverty, famine and injustice in the world when he could do something about it… but I’m afraid He might ask me the same question.” Anonymous
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
10 Things Tuesday: Magazines!
Except for my Church magazines, which I just stow away on the shelf, I like to cut up my magazines. Any useful or creative article I can find, I save in an organized 3-ring binder...and any pictures I love that would make a good collage, I save, too, in labeled page protectors. But what else can I do with the magazines (or just their papers) after I'm done cutting it up? Well, here are 10 ideas!
10. Make a ransom note or collage with pieces of it!
9. Baskets!
8. Magazine bowls! (Tutorial HERE.)
7. Coasters!
6. Beads! You can glue long triangles into beads, or you can get more grown-up and put pieces of a paper in clear links.
5. Make a magazine bow for the holidays! Tutorial HERE.
4. Paper crafts! Of course! From roses to hearts to mod podge wonders and everything in between!
3. Roll those pages tightly and adorn a frame!
2. Make easy magazine butterflies! Tutorial HERE.
1. Use as wrapping paper.
BONUS IDEAS:
*How about a magazine tree? You can make these even prettier if you follow the directions HERE.
* A mosaic! Of course, I've already talked about this sort of thing with cereal boxes...but it's a classic!
I'm sure *something* here is worth your while! I know I'm going to go get started on a few trees for the holidays (in less than a month!). Happy crafting!
10. Make a ransom note or collage with pieces of it!
9. Baskets!
8. Magazine bowls! (Tutorial HERE.)
BONUS IDEAS:
*How about a magazine tree? You can make these even prettier if you follow the directions HERE.
I'm sure *something* here is worth your while! I know I'm going to go get started on a few trees for the holidays (in less than a month!). Happy crafting!
Monday, November 28, 2011
Some of what I've done since last I really blogged...
I wish I had kept a log of everything I've been up to lately. I feel like time has really just passed by SO quickly, and some days I'm genuinely enjoying that, and other days I'm feeling like I can't even catch my breath. Ah, well. That's life. :) Here are some pictures 'n' stuff to show a little peek of some of the things I've been working on (sort of in order...but not really):
We started going out to Goodwill on the first Saturday of every month as our at-least-once-monthly-real-date. We have scored some awesome things for 50% off!
Paul's birthday! We went out to eat on his actual birthday, and I made him a few presents...as for his party, it was a nice, small group...and some of our friends even took the challenge to dress up like pirates with us! The cake was very chocolatey and tasty. We were supposed to go geocaching, but with being sick and the stress of things lately we weren't really feeling up to it. It was still a lot of fun!
After the party, a few friends invited us to go to a local corn maze with them--so fun! Thanks, Joni, for the pictures, too!
I did a bit of crafting...I HAND-SEWED these dresses (made out of her-size tee shirts, old long/dress/shirts of mine, and some elastic) for my niece, both of which she has worn to church since then. And they didn't fall apart. Win!
I also got started on Thanksgiving and Christmas projects...here's a sneak peek...
AND, speaking of felt, remember those flowers I made for the primary kids for their program? I got sent a few pictures of the cuties. :)
Also, I helped a friend start a felt doll set for her girls, and made another starter set for another friend's niece's birthday.
And I made a few ruffly tee shirt scarves for my best friend's birthday...
...and I got started on presents for Christmas...crocheted stuff...
We moved. This is as much as we could do...we have another hearing tomorrow to contest the eviction based on their inability to keep the place up to code.
Related to the move, we also sold some stuff and I reupholstered some stuff.
And we had this little guy as our welcoming party at the new place! :)
We LOVE our new place, though. Like, a lot. The dogs do, too, and they've adjusted much better than we expected them to. It's worth the enormous amount of money they charge to live here. We moved on a Friday, cleaned things up at the other place Saturday, and by Monday night the new place was settled--well, as much as it can be, anyway. We broke a few bookshelves, so we're waiting on more money to get those replaced and other small things like that. :) So, more pictures to come, but here's our living room/kitchen area.
Now our place looks like this.
We housesat/babysat for a family in our ward for five days. No pictures. No words. But it was a lot of fun!
I helped the Activity Days girls plan and carry out a food drive. Incidentally, I also sliced my finger on a shard of glass when on of the jars broke...it's healing up quite nicely, though. We also did a sewing night and planning for the Christmas party next week...
We celebrated Caida's Barbie-themed birthday! (We went to Chuck E. Cheese first, then came home for cake and ice cream and presents.) Can't believe she's 7 already! I was especially proud of the strawberry Barbie cake I made...except for the black icing. It was a melty beast and I couldn't work with it well at all.
We had a wonderful Thanksgiving, complete with our family's traditional tacos at my mom's house.
Paul started a new job a week or so after we moved. He really likes it, overall. I love it--better pay, fewer hours and STEADY ones at that...my little wife heart is very grateful to have him home more regularly and to be able to plan things again.
I know other things happened, and of course the day-to-day stuff (cooking, cleaning, visiting teaching, dinner parties with friends, stuff that always happens)...but without pictures I don't remember anything else off the top of my head. :) *Whew* I think that's enough for this morning. Off to aerobics! :)
We started going out to Goodwill on the first Saturday of every month as our at-least-once-monthly-real-date. We have scored some awesome things for 50% off!
Paul's birthday! We went out to eat on his actual birthday, and I made him a few presents...as for his party, it was a nice, small group...and some of our friends even took the challenge to dress up like pirates with us! The cake was very chocolatey and tasty. We were supposed to go geocaching, but with being sick and the stress of things lately we weren't really feeling up to it. It was still a lot of fun!
 |
| Yes, I made that throw...it was the costume contest prize! |
 |
| We are good-looking pirates. :) |
 |
| Other folks who dressed up. :) |
 |
| The cake! |
After the party, a few friends invited us to go to a local corn maze with them--so fun! Thanks, Joni, for the pictures, too!
 |
| This coat is one of those awesome GoodWill finds. :) |
 |
| The gang...with Joni taking the picture! |
 |
| blue fire :) |
I did a bit of crafting...I HAND-SEWED these dresses (made out of her-size tee shirts, old long/dress/shirts of mine, and some elastic) for my niece, both of which she has worn to church since then. And they didn't fall apart. Win!
I also got started on Thanksgiving and Christmas projects...here's a sneak peek...
 |
| It's a 25-days-of-Christmas advent calendar, made of felt envelopes. :) Got the goods at our ward's Relief Society Christmas craft night, which I also participated in...taught the women how to make these: |
Also, I helped a friend start a felt doll set for her girls, and made another starter set for another friend's niece's birthday.
And I made a few ruffly tee shirt scarves for my best friend's birthday...
We moved. This is as much as we could do...we have another hearing tomorrow to contest the eviction based on their inability to keep the place up to code.
 |
| Yeah, we didn't really touch the mold...that's their fault! |
Related to the move, we also sold some stuff and I reupholstered some stuff.
And we had this little guy as our welcoming party at the new place! :)
We LOVE our new place, though. Like, a lot. The dogs do, too, and they've adjusted much better than we expected them to. It's worth the enormous amount of money they charge to live here. We moved on a Friday, cleaned things up at the other place Saturday, and by Monday night the new place was settled--well, as much as it can be, anyway. We broke a few bookshelves, so we're waiting on more money to get those replaced and other small things like that. :) So, more pictures to come, but here's our living room/kitchen area.
Now our place looks like this.
We housesat/babysat for a family in our ward for five days. No pictures. No words. But it was a lot of fun!
I helped the Activity Days girls plan and carry out a food drive. Incidentally, I also sliced my finger on a shard of glass when on of the jars broke...it's healing up quite nicely, though. We also did a sewing night and planning for the Christmas party next week...
We celebrated Caida's Barbie-themed birthday! (We went to Chuck E. Cheese first, then came home for cake and ice cream and presents.) Can't believe she's 7 already! I was especially proud of the strawberry Barbie cake I made...except for the black icing. It was a melty beast and I couldn't work with it well at all.
 |
| Caida and her momma. :) Can you believe she and I are even related? :) |
We had a wonderful Thanksgiving, complete with our family's traditional tacos at my mom's house.
Paul started a new job a week or so after we moved. He really likes it, overall. I love it--better pay, fewer hours and STEADY ones at that...my little wife heart is very grateful to have him home more regularly and to be able to plan things again.
I know other things happened, and of course the day-to-day stuff (cooking, cleaning, visiting teaching, dinner parties with friends, stuff that always happens)...but without pictures I don't remember anything else off the top of my head. :) *Whew* I think that's enough for this morning. Off to aerobics! :)
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